FOLLOWING a protest march in the city last weekend, which saw up to 10,000 people show their opposition to the controversial water charges, further demonstrations will take place throughout Limerick and the Mid-West this Saturday, November 1.
According to Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor for City North, Cian Prendiville, this weekend’ protests are about bringing the “water revolt” into the communities. Protesters are planning to march through key estates in the city with wheelie bins for collecting Irish Water forms.
“Protests are organised from 2pm at the Treaty Stone, Punches Cross, Claughan GAA club, Westbury shops and Shannon.
“We have the government on the run. We want to keep the pressure up, and that’s what this Saturday is about. We don’t want an easy pay plan, or extended deadlines — we want this charge abolished,” he declared.
Limerick Sinn Féin councillor Maurice Quinlivan said the water tax was propping up one of the biggest quangos this country has ever seen and represents a “for-profit” model being imposed on one of our most precious resources.
“It is indisputable that access to water is one of our most basic, fundamental rights. It is endemic of the Irish Water debacle that after refusing for months to tell the public how much they would be charged for water, that Irish Water will now refuse to tell the truth on bonuses, playing word games around “performance related pay.
“While a single water utility can provide much needed maintenance of the system, Irish Water is not competent or trusted enough to provide this function.Irish Water should be scrapped and I would call on all who oppose this ill-advised and unfair tax to come out on Saturday and make their voices heard,” he added.
The River Shannon Protection Alliance (RSPA) will also participate in this Saturday’s Right2Water’s protest against Irish Water. The RSPA is opposed to Irish Water’s plans to divert water from Lough Derg to Dublin City Council, at a rate of hundreds of millions of litres per day.
“The objective of Saturday’s participation is to make it clear that such plundering of the Shannon, with far reaching consequences, environmentally and economically along the full length of the river, is both unnecessary and bogus and will not be tolerated,” said a spokesman for the group.
